Portable scaffolding.



Patented Apr. 30, mm.

' J. A. SCOTT. PORTABLE SCAFFOLDING.

Application filed Nov. 8, 1900.)

(No Model.)

Wines;

THE norms mas 110.. Pno'roLlTua. WASHINGTON. o. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. SCOTT, OF DRAKEMORE, MISSOURI.

PORTABLE SICAFFOLDING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 673,065, dated April30, 1901.

Application filed November 6, 1900. Serial No. 35,634. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern;

Be it knownthat 1, JOHN A. SCOTT, a citizen of the United States,residing at Drake- Inore, Jackson county, Missouri, have invented a newand useful Portable Scaffolding, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to portable scaffolding, and more especially tothat class of convertible construction for use on gable-roofs, forbuilding chimneys, or for plasterin g, painting, paper-hanging, 85c.which may be folded for convenience of transportation and em bodies thedesirable features of adjustability to accommodate roofs of dilferentinclinations and gables of different angles and adj ustability as toheight to accommodate walls and ceilings of varying heights.

My obj ect is to produce a portable scaffolding of the type mentioned,but of simpler, stronger, and more durable construction than any withwhich I am familiar, and which, furthermore, can be disposed in orremoved from position. easily and quickly.

With this object in view the invention consists in certain novel andpeculiar features of construction and combinations of parts, ashereinafter described and claimed, and in order that it may be fullyunderstood reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 represents a section of a gable-roof with a pair ofchimneys in course of con-f struction, one near its apex and the othernear the eaves, and also shows my improved scaffolding as applied forbuilding the chimney at the apex and as applied for building the.chimney near the eaves. Fig. 2 represents a detail perspective view ofthe scafiolding about as shown in the lower part of Fig. 1, with theexception of the connecting boards or planks, hereinafter referred to,and also as a part of the scaffold to be used by lathers, plasterers,painters, paper-hangers, &;c. Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectiontaken on thedotted line III of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the foldinglegs of the scaffold. Fig. 5 is a central vertical section of one end ofthe tie-bar connecting the legs and of one of the extensible barsconnecting said bar with the leg-section braces. Fig. 6 is a sectiontaken on the line VI VI of Fig. 5.

Referring to the drawings in detail, where pair of spring-metal splitsleeves upon said sections, and 6 lugs projecting from the split edgesof the same,clamping-bolts 7 and nuts 8, engaging the bolts, beingutilized to clamp said sleeves rigidly at the point desired. The

sleeves are formed with threaded pins 9 projecting outwardly and throughcertain holes 11 of a brace 10, retaining-nuts 12 engaging pins 9 andsecuring the brace reliably in position. By adjusting the'sleeves5'toward or from their pivots the legsections can be brought nearertogether to increase the height of the scaifold or farther apart todiminish its height, or the same effect may be produced by causing thepins 9 to engage holes 11 varying in distance from the center of thebraces, as will be readily understood. When the scaffold is to be usedupon a roof for the use of bricklayers or masons, there are two of thesefolding legs placed at the requisite distance apart and connected by atie-bar 13, said tie-bar having a central hole 14,-for a purpose whichwill be presently explained, and a plurality of similar holes 15 neareach end. The bar is also provided in its under side with a pair oflongitudinal channels 16, extending from a point near the center topoints near said holes 15, and said channels are bridged by slottedplates 17, the slots of said plates being narrower than channels 16 toreceive snugly yet slidingly the bolts 18 and hold the heads of saidbolts reliably in the channels.

19 designates clamping-nuts engaging the ends of the bolts and clampingfirmly against plates 17 at the desired point the slide-plates 20. Apair of extensible bars of precisely the same construction are hinged attheir upper ends to plates 20 and comprise the slotted members 21 andmembers 22, the former hav-- ing sleeves or stirrups 23embracing-members 22, and the latter bolts 24 extending through members21, clamping-nuts 25 en-.

gaging the ends of said bolts to clamp said members reliably at thepoint of adjustment required. The lower ends of members 22 carrypivotally bifurcated brackets 26, having pins 27 for engagement with theholes 4 of leg-sections 3, as shown in the upper part of Fig. 1, or forengagement with holes 28 at the center of braces 10, as shown in thelower part of Fig. 1 and in Fig. 2.

All of the structural features having' been described, reference is nowmade to the mode of assembling the parts according to the work inhand-that is to say, if a chimney is to be erected at the apex of theroof the bricklayers or masons, as the case may be, either remove bracesfrom leg-sections 3 entirely, as shown in Fig. 1, or else disconnect oneend of each brace 10 and fold it snugly up against the section to whichit is pivoted in an obvious manner. The sections of each leg are thenfree to swing together or be moved apart and are readily placed upon theroof at opposite sides of the chimney, and of course being free to moveadjust themselves to the pitch or angle of the roof, whatever that maybe, with their pins 2 projecting vertically upward. A bar 13 is thenfitted down upon each pin,so as to extend parallel, the pins of courseengaging the central holes 14:. The extensiin this instance.

ble braces, slidingly connected and hinged to said bars, now have thepins 27 of their pivotally-carried brackets 26 inserted in holes 4 ofthe leg-sections. The length of said bars is then made to accommodatethe distance between said pins and the bars 13 by varying their lengthor by a sliding adjustment of plates 20, or both, the object of coursebeing to secure the bars 13 in a horizontal plane. The space between thebars is now bridged by a platform composed of a plurality of planks 29,resting at their opposite ends on said bars and disposed at oppositesides of the chimney, if desired, as shown in Fig. 1. Upon thisplatform, which, it will be seen, is perfectly strong and rigid, thebricklayers or masons can stand in perfect safety with the materialsnecessary for the work in hand.

Where a chimney is to be erected near the eaves of a house, theleg-sections are disposed at right angles to each other at oppositesides of the chimney, and the vertical ones are preferably placed upon ablock 30, nailed temporarily to the roof for their support, while thehorizontal sections are preferably provided with a hook 31 to passthrough the space between the boards upon which the shingles are nailedand engage one of said boards. The leg-sections are then securedreliably in the relative positions described by means of the braces 10.The pins 2 of the leg-sections are now connected by means of tie-bar 13extending through one of each set of holes 15 When the tie-bar is thussecured, the extensible braces are swung to opposite sides of thechimney in the relative position shown in Fig. 2 and are connected tobraces 10 by the engagement of pins 27 with the holes 28 of said brace.Aplatform' like the one above described is now made by bri( ging thespace between the horizontalsections of the legs with planks 29, asshown.

When it is desired to utilize the structure as a scaffold for lathers,plasterers, painters, and paper-hangers, two sets of legs are employedand likewise two tie-bars 13, each set being connected by a tie-bar, asshown in Fig. 2, and the space between the parallel tie-bars bridged byplanks, and to accommodate walls and ceilings of different heights theleg-sections are moved nearer together or farther apart in the mannerhereinbefore explained, the nearer they are brought to the perpendicular the greater the altitude of the platform, as will be readilyunderstood. Furthermore, to accommodate the adjustment of theleg-sections by movement of brace 10 it is necessary to either vary thelength of the extensible brace or to effect a sliding adjustment ofplates 20, or both adjustments may be resorted to, if desired.

It will thus be seen that I have produced a scaffolding which embodiesthe features of ad vantage enumerated desirable, and while I haveillustrated and described its preferred embodiment it is obvious thatthe invention is susceptible of other minor changes Without departingfrom its spirit and scope.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure-by Letters Patent, is

1. In a portable scaffolding, the combination of a pair of legs,consisting of a plate or casting having a pin and a pair of similarsections pivoted to said plate and adapted to extend at varying angles,braces connecting said leg-sections, one or more bars provided withholes to engage said pins, and braces having a sliding and pivotalconnection at their upper ends with said bar or bars and connected attheir lower ends to the contiguous leg-section or leg-section brace,substantially as described.

2. In a portable scalfolding, the combination of a pair of legs,consisting of a plate or casting having a pin and a pair of similarsections pivoted to said plate and adapted to extend at varying anglesand provided with holes, braces connecting said leg-sections andprovided with holes,one or more bars provided with holes to engage saidpins, and braces having a sliding and pivotal connection at their upperends with said bar or bars and provided with pivoted brackets at theirlower ends having pins to engage the holes of the leg-sections orleg-section braces, substantially as described.

3. In a portable scalfolding, the combination of a pair of legs,consisting of a plate or casting having a pin and a pair of similarsections pivoted to said plate and adapted to extend at varying anglesand provided with holes, braces connecting said leg-sections andprovided with holes, one or more bars provided with holes to engage saidpins, and

provided with longitudinal channels in their under sides, plates securedto the under side of said bars and provided with slots registering withbut narrower than said channels, bolts extending slidingly through saidslots and having their heads held in said channels by said plates,sliding plates fitting against said slotted plates, nuts clamping saidsliding plates tightly to the slotted plates, and 9X: tensible bracespivoted at their upper ends to said sliding plates and provided withpivoted brackets at their lower ends having pins to engage the holes ofthe leg-sections or legsection braces, substantially as described.

4. In a portable scaffolding, the combination of a pair of legs,consisting of a plate or casting having a pin, and a pair of similarsections pivoted to said plate and adapted to extend at varying angles,braces connecting said leg-sections, one or more bars provided withholes to engage said pins, braces having a sliding and pivotalconnection at their upper ends with said bar or bars and connected attheir lower ends to the contiguous leg-section or leg-section braces,and a hook connected to the leg-section which assumes a horizontalposition when the structure is em= ployed in building a chimney at theeaves of a house, substantially as described.

5. In a portable scaffolding, the combination of a pair of legs,consisting of a plate or casting having a pin, and a pair of similarsections pivoted to said plate and adapted to extend at varying angles,braces connecting said leg-sections, one or more bars provided withholes to engage said pins, braces having a sliding and pivotalconnection at their upper ends with said bar or bars, and connected attheir lower ends to the contiguous leg-section or leg-section braces, ahook connected to the leg-section which assumes a horizontal positionwhen the structure is employed in building a chimney at the eaves of ahouse, and planks to bridge the space between and rest upon saidhorizontal leg-sections, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses. H

JOHN A. SCOTT. 'Witnessesi H. O. RODGERS, G. Y. THORPE.

